Concrete burial vault



Dec. 27, 1932. ic, GEHRlG' JR I 1,892,461

CONCRETE BURIAL VAULT Filed Sept. 28, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor ,zTzr M Patented Dec. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT C. GEHRIG, JR., OF SGHUYLK ILL HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA CONCRETE Bonner. VAULT Application filed September 28; 1932. Serial No. 635,265.

opened and then when the cofiin is placed in the vault the cover can be closed without setting up the derrick for a second time when putting the cover in position, as is now necessary with the cover entirely separated from the vault.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the cover is sealed to the body of the vault by a water-proof preparation, with means whereby the hinge is entirely covered by said sealing preparation or compound.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to .be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the vault with the cover closed and the top broken away.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view with the cover in closed position in full lines and in open position in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the vault in a grave with the coffin, as shown in dotted lines, in position to be lowered into the vault, said view showing the cover in closed position in full lines and in open position in dotted lines.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary perspective view of the corner portion of the vault.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the cover.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail view through a part of the cover and a side wall of the vault.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of the lower portion of the wall.

In these views the body of the vault is shown at A and the cover at B. Both the cover and the body are formed of reinforced cement and theupper edge of the'body has a groove 1 therein and the lower face of the cover has a rib 2 thereon for fitting 1n the groove whenthe cover is in closed position. 00 The cover at one side thereof is connected to a side of the body by the hinges 3, the

barrels of'which are located in a space formed.

by making the cover of smaller dimensions than the exterior dimensions of the body. A single hinge pin 4 passes through the barrels as shown in Fig. 1, this figure showing three hinges, but of course it will be understood that any desired number of hinges can'beb used. r v As shown, the side and end edges of the cover are straight and as the cover is of slightly less length and width than the exterior length and width of the body a space 7 is formed around the cover which is adapted to be filled with the sealing compound or preparation shown at 5 which also extends into the grooves 1 and between the adjacent parts of the cover and body as shown in F igsf 7 3 and 6. Some of this compound also covers the barrels and hinge pin as shown in Fig. 3, so that there is no danger of these metal parts corroding, and the entire vault when sealed, is moisture-proof. so

By hinging'the cover to the body the entire vault can be placed in the grave with the cover in raised position and resting against a wall of the grave as shown in Fig, 3 in dotted lines, so that after the vault has been lowered into the grave the derrick can be removed as it is not needed again to lower the cover. The coflin shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 is lowered into the vault in the usual manner and then the cover can be lowered to closedposition and the sealing compound applied. This removes the necessity of having to bring back the derrick, after the funeral, to lower the cover into position, as is now required with vaults having their covers entirely detached from the body.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts provided that such changes fall with in the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is A burial vault formed of reinforced con crete and comprising a body having the upper edge of each vertical wall thereof fiat with a groove in said edge slightly spaced from the inner face of the wall, a cover of less width and length than the exterior width and length of the body with its edges straight and arranged at right angles to the upper edges of the walls of the body with each edge of the cover spaced inwardly from the outer margin of an upper edge of the body, ribs on the under face of the cover spaced inwardly from the edges of said cover, said ribs complementary to said grooves and 'fit ting in the grooves of the body, hinges for fastening one side edge of the cover to a side wall of the body, said hinges having their leaves embedded in the cover and upper portion of said side wall of the body with their barrels located in the space formed by said side edge of the cover and the corresponding upper edge of said side wall, and sealing compound placed between adjacent parts of the cover and body and in the grooves and filling the spaces formed by the side edges of the cover and the outer portions of the upper edges of the body with some of the compound completely covering those portions of the hinges extending into the space formed by said side edge of the cover and the adjacent upper edge of said side wall of the body.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. ROBERT C. GEHRIG, JR. 

